An Interview with Amy Willcock

The Best in Show Winner for the Etiquette Community in our 2nd Annual Etiquipedia Place Setting Competition is Amy Willcock of the United Kingdom. Amy is shown above with her Georgian Era dinner place setting.

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Amy Willcock is a successful writer of nine cookery and entertainment books. Born in Chicago, she moved to the UK in 1980. Specialising in country living and game recipes, Amy wrote a regular monthly column for The Shooting Gazette for over 19 years writing about food, country lifestyle and gundogs. During the Covid lockdown in Spring 2020, Amy started a new venture, KBO Cakes. The only way she could “send a slice of home” to her children serving in the forces and at university, was to send them a cake. “Nothing says “I’m thinking about you” more than a homemade cake. Everyone needs a little morale booster every now and then” says Amy. www.kbocakes.co.uk Amy was previously in the hotel business - one of which, The George on the Isle of Wight, had a Michelin starred restaurant. Amy held Lifestyle, Cookery and Aga Workshops teaching people to cook, arrange flowers and set beautiful tables along with how to run a house. Her lifestyle and Aga workshops have been described as ‘finishing schools for people in their 30’s’ and Nigella Lawson wrote in Vogue, “Amy Willcock, hand holder to Aga owners everywhere”. She is a founder member of Yarmouth Women’s Institute, the subject of a BBC 4 documentary, and is a WI Cookery and Preserves judge. Amy has appeared on Market Kitchen, Kirstie’s Homemade home, Celebrity Masterchef, and judged the perfect Sunday Lunch with John Torode and Gregg Wallace on Masterchef and is a regular Food and Lifestyle contributor to local radio. Amy lives in Yorkshire where she manages Warter Priory Shoot office, trains her gundogs, endlessly entertaining friends and family.

Amy’s formal Georgian setting was our Best in Show for the Professional and Etiquette Community entries. It is a mix of 18th century elements  that work beautifully together to create a real feel for the era. Starting with the candle light reflecting off of the silver and warm wood, the table is set with the pistol grip handled flatware so common to the time period. The pineapple is the quintessential Georgian fruit to accompany a fine, formal meal... all of these elements, along with the colors chosen, work seamlessly together. We’d love to dine at this table!

A few etiquette notes on Amy’s setting: 

Amy’s place setting and the overall look  and feeling it evoked was absolutely charming. She went into great detail in her description, so we only sent a follow-up request for explanations on each piece of flatware. You will find her explanation below the photo of Amy’s menu,

Six questions for Amy: 

1. How did you choose the menu and various elements you used in your setting and why? Please explain each of the utensils at your setting… For which of the foods on your menu (or course) was each different item intended? 

Amy’s menu is a perfect melange of Georgian fare and suits the setting to a T. The utensils are for the foods as follows: On the far right the small knife is a bread knife and the tablespoon is for soup. The small forks on either side are for fish (fish used to be eaten with two forks before fish knife and fork sets were created in the 19th century.) The joint knife and fork are for the lamb. The pudding-fork and spoon are for Cambridge burnt cream (“they slide down when main course is cleared”) and the small knife closest to the plate is for the dessert course.

“I always cook according to the seasons and what is easy to prepare and serve when you are the cook, hostess and bottlewasher! I collect silver it is a passion of mine along with old glass but I do love William Yeoward glasses.

“Soup spoons didn’t exist in the Georgian era, table spoons were used,which is so sensible – I do not possess a soup spoon!
In the late 17th and early 18th century knives were made of carbon steel and would taint delicate foods such as fish so two silver forks would be used. Much later in Victorian times silver fish knives and forks were used, although some are very beautiful, I use small silver forks and pistol handled knives with stainless steel blades and set two forks at dinner parties and it’s always fun to watch you guests try and figure out what is going on.

“I am rather fond of three pronged forks as you can see and my pistol handled knives do have very old blades so they need a bit of TLC every now and then. Rack of Lamb is so tender it should cut like butter and of course it is quite correct to pick up the bones and eat, just remember to give everyone a finger bowl after the main course!

“Cambridge Burnt cream is a delicious thick cold custard topped with a layer of crispy caramelised burnt sugar so a good whack with a sliver spoon will do the trick in England, apart from ice cream we always serve “pudding” as we call the sweet course, with a fork and spoon. 

The dessert course is always fruit, nuts, and sweetmeats – little candied bon bons made of marzipan and dates. That’s also where the pineapple comes in and you will see form the photo that the pineapple is taken out of it’s skin and then reassembled back inside, rather cleverly acting as a table decoration and fruit course.”

2. Why did you choose this particular period in time to set your table? Please go into as much detail as you can.

“I love everything about the Georgian period – the silver, the architecture, the china etc… that is when the dining room came into it’s own.”

Later this month we will be posting an extract from a book Amy wrote for English Heritage.

3. How, if at all, did Covid-related social restrictions affect your choice of setting? Were you ready to celebrate? Feeling in the mood to do something different? Etc…

I live in the middle of the country and covid had very little effect really except entertaining was out, but I still set a beautiful table every day.

4. Have you always enjoyed a properly set table? Or, if not, was the table setting something you learned to enjoy through your social life and/or business later on in life?

My mother always insisted on a properly laid table at every meal – breakfast lunch and dinner–  and never put a milk bottle on the table! I have always loved setting fun, beautiful tables. In the UK Tea is served around 4-5 pm and was usually served in the drawing room or sitting room, delicious little sandwiches, and cake- FYI cake would not be served with cake forks! High tea would be things like cottage pie or boiled egg and soldiers for children around 5pm. A properly laid table transforms whatever you are eating, even if it is just bread and cheese. My biggest tip is use everything all the time, don’t save anything for “best”, enjoy everything. I love Joan Didion’s reply when she was asked why she used the good silver every day, Didion replied, “Well every day is all there is.”

5. Did you do any research on table setting etiquette before setting your elements at the table? 

I entered the professional section as I have written, lectured and worked on tables in stately houses such as Castle Howard in Yorkshire extensively.

6. Do you plan on entering again next year? 

Definitely!

More on AmyWillcock–

Nigella Lawson wrote in Vogue, “Amy Willcock, hand holder to Aga owners everywhere”

Books published by Ebury Press

Amy Willcock’s Aga Bible

Troubleshooting tips for your Aga

Cooking for One

At home with Amy Willcock

Amy Willcock’s B&B Know How

Amy Willcock’s Aga Seasons

Amy Willcock’s Aga Know How

Amy Willcock’s Aga Baking

Aga Cooking

Magazines– Amy is a contributor to The Shooting Gazette, Country Life, The Lady, Aga Living, Homes and Garden, Country Kitchen, Waitrose.   

Elizabeth Soos and I would both like to congratulate Amy on her award winning setting. We are honored that she entered our contest and love meeting others who are so willing to share their talents, enthusiasm for etiquette, and their wealth of knowledge. Congratulations!

 

🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia